His Most Precious Thing
by Hylian Harmony
Summary: It's all fun and games until a telescope gets thrown off a cliff. -Based on Jojo56830's Linked Universe AU-
1. Chapter 1

"His Most Precious Thing"

He had traveled with pirates. By now, one would think he'd have learned to keep his belongings close.

And he had. Usually he didn't leave them lying around for just anyone to grab. Usually, they were bundled up and secured to his person in some way when he was awake and serving as his, rather uncomfortable, pillow when he slept.

But tonight was different. Tonight, he was exhausted. They'd traveled such a long distance today, and while he was used to travel, he wasn't used to _land_ travel.

For him, travel consisted of wind in his hair, screeching gulls, and –sometimes- sea spray on his face. Here, it was trekking across grass and fields and stretches of land he had no proper names for besides "Hyrule". And after slogging through numerous versions of the aforementioned land, he determined that even this designation was incorrect. The Hyrules varied vastly in size, especially Wild's. It was maybe four or five times the vastness of the Great Sea and there. Was. No. Water. There were plenty of monsters, though.

Again, he was familiar with monsters. The Great Sea was teeming with them. But Gyorgs were easy to avoid if you knew how and so were Big Octos, so long as you paid attention to the seagulls. There was no avoiding here. Not when he was in a group of heroes, all of which had a duty to keep the land safe. Twice, they had stopped to fight camps of monsters and each time Wind had lost a bit more energy. Couple that with the three monster ambushes and the one Yiga Clan run-in that were definitely _not_ part of the plan and you got bone-deep exhaustion. By the time they finally stopped, he'd all but collapsed.

Considering the facts, he could excuse his neglect. And yet, as the captain of the army of some distant era's Hyrule waved his sister's red telescope in the air, he couldn't help but scold himself. He knew better.

"Give it back." Wind kept his voice even, for now. Maybe the soldier would see how tired he was and decide to mess with someone else.

No such luck.

"Oh, come on, little sailor," Warrior drawled as he messed with the telescope's mechanism, zooming it in and out. "I'm just borrowing it."

"I never said you could borrow it," Wind retorted, marching over and trying to swipe the telescope out of Warrior's hands. He was too slow. The much taller male easily whisked it up out of Wind's reach, and didn't spare him so much as a glance as he inspected the craftsmanship of the spyglass.

"Oh? What's this? Seagulls?" Warrior mused. "Hey, Legend! You like seagulls, right? Check this out!"

His heart skipped a beat as Warrior tossed the telescope to the young man leaning against a nearby boulder. Legend, thankfully, caught it, but even when Wind's heart began beating again, it was much too fast.

"Huh, there are seagulls on here. Neat," Legend said, running a finger along the painted birds.

Wind rushed over and stuck out his hand expectantly. "Can I have it back now?"

"You can have it back as soon as you grab it," Warrior declared. "What do you say, Legend? Up for some Wind in the middle?"

Legend glanced up at Wind, then down at the telescope, then back up at Wind. He tried to plead with his eyes. He really did. But it wasn't enough to stop the smirk from peeling back Legend's lips or the words that fell out. "Go long!"

"No!" Wind lunged for his sister's most treasured possession before it could be thrown, but Legend had already stood by then and was using his bigger size to keep him at bay.

Suddenly, the telescope was airborne, and Wind was helpless to watch as Warrior caught it a few yards away.

He ran a bit in Warrior's direction before realizing it would probably be smarter to stay near Legend. There was no way Warrior would relinquish it, but maybe, just maybe, he could sway his other counterpart. If not with words, at least with his strength. Both were taller than him but Legend was less so. Wind was sure he could blow him over if he really tried.

But before that: words. Words were always better than violence. "_Please _give it back."

"Take it back, shrimp" was the only response he got. And laughter was all his succeeding pleas, threats, and fruitless jumps got. He wasn't upset enough to hurt anyone or really scream. (Aryll had taught him patience, if nothing else.) The other heroes were worn out from the day's events too. He understood. They wanted some fun, and he wasn't opposed to it. He just didn't want them damaging his sister's telescope. So he did his best to convey his feelings with a slightly raised voice and words.

That is, until Warrior fumbled a catch and Aryll's telescope went sailing over the cliff side. Then all words deserted him.

"…Whoops."

Wind didn't even know who had said it. Warrior or Legend; it didn't matter. It didn't matter because that was his sister's most prized possession, his birthday present, his extended loan, his keep-this-with-you-at-all-times-so you-don't-forget-me order, his I'll-come-back-and-there-won't-be-a-scratch-on-it promise. He promised. He promised to keep it with him always. To never let anything happen to it. To give it back to her when he saw her again because he would see her again.

And he'd broken it.

There were no words, just a battle cry and a vicious kick to Warrior's shin that made the man howl. Then came flying fists and curses and raw throats and blurry vision and hands and feet and someone was dragging him back, telling him to "calm down, calm down" but he couldn't. He couldn't because that was his sister's most precious thing. It was _his _most precious thing, and he'd been careless with it when he'd promised he'd keep it safe. Keep her safe.

"Hey, hey! It's alright! Kid, stop! Wind! …Link!" That snapped him out of it. Not fully, just enough to process the next words being said to him. "Relax, Wild's getting it. It's okay. He's getting it back for you. It's not gone."

_She's gone. There's nothing you can do._

All breath whooshed out of him and numbness spread throughout his limbs. _She's gone._

He was turned –yanked- around –up- then so that he could see the person –people- crouched -looming– down –over- in front of him. Blue. Piercing blue eyes. Like the ocean. Like home.

"It's okay." Link. The Hero of Twilight. That's who was holding him by the arms, firmly but not enough to hurt. He could feel a little more now. And the feeling crashed into him like a tidal wave when the dirty-blonde reached up and brushed a thumb across his cheek. His face was wet. His head was dizzy and his fingers and toes were tingling. "Everything is fine."

But it wasn't. "The-I-I told them not to but they did an-and they wouldn't give…give it back and-" Wind stumbled over his tongue, unable to catch his breath among the sobs. He still didn't know why he was crying. He'd been careful not to cry. Especially in front of any of the others. They'd only call him weak and he wasn't weak. Yes, he was young but he wasn't weak. He could handle walking for hours without stopping and fighting monsters until his every muscle screamed.

And yet, he couldn't handle this.

"I know. Don't worry. They're idiots and they're getting an earful from Time and the others now, and I'll personally chew them out for it later," Twilight assured him, all the while rubbing his arms soothingly. "Just breathe. Concentrate on breathing."

And he tried. But his ears were full of water and his chest was aching and he _couldn't. _He couldn't breathe underwater.

"In… and out. Come on, you can do it."

He shook his head because he couldn't hecouldn't_hecouldn't_.

"Yes, you can. Come 'ere," Twilight tugged him down and Wind's knees collapsed but it didn't matter because the older teen was there to catch him and pull him into his lap. "Breathe with me. In first."

Twilight took a deep breath and whether it was the instruction or the contact, Wind was able to suck in a breath too. Except it was shaky and his chest was bursting half a second later and he couldn't hold it. A cough forced the air out of his lungs.

"That's okay. Try again."

The next he could hold for a second. The following a second and a half. Same with the next. And the next. Until suddenly he could hold the air in for three seconds, then four, then five. And he could breathe. He could _breathe._

He could hear too. He could hear yelling behind him, multiple voices but Time's stood out chief among them. "Respect people when they tell you to stop for Farore's sake! Have you no common sense?!"

"We didn't mean anything by it." Warrior.

"It doesn't matter what you meant! This is what it is now. Take a good hard look because you two _did_ that."

Wind could feel eyes on him, and he curled into Twilight more, not wanting to be the center of attention.

"It wasn't even my fault," Legend said after a beat of silence. "Butter fingers over here-"

"What?! You're the one that threw it too far!"

"You're both to blame." That was 'Rule.

"Exactly," Time agreed. "You shouldn't have been messing with his stuff in the first place."

"Time, it's a _telescope_," Warrior stressed.

"To you," the eldest of them retorted. "To you it's a telescope. You don't what know what it is to him."

He could practically feel Legend roll his eyes. "He's a kid. If anything, it's a toy."

"He's a hero," Time shot back, surprising Wind. Not because it wasn't true but because he assumed the others had all forgotten that small detail. "He's been through crap just like the rest of us. You don't get to assume anything about what he has on him. If he doesn't want you having it, there's a reason, and you're to respect that. You want us all to go through your stuff and throw it around?"

If there was a response to that explosion, Wind didn't hear it, for Twilight patted his shoulder to get his attention and said, "Look. Wild's back."

Even with blurry vision, Wind could see the young man in blue garb coming towards them, whisking the rectangular slate off his hip as he did so. Wild's face was still as stone when he stopped in front of them. He knelt down, tapping the slate one final time, and extracted an object which he immediately handed to Wind.

No, not an object. Objects. Or, more accurately, pieces. He was holding pieces of his sister's telescope in his hands. There were only two, the tubes had separated, rendering the spyglass useless. Upon further inspection, he found the lenses to be cracked in several places. Even if the telescope had been whole, it wouldn't be functional. Barring functionality, the paint was chipped and scratched. He hovered a trembling hand over the seagulls, afraid to touch them. Their wings had been ripped off.

"Oh, Wind…" A sob was caught in his throat, and he could barely feel Twilight's hand rubbing his back. It was broken. How would he explain it to Aryll? Was she even okay? Was she broken too?

Before he could get too worked up again, Four was beside him. "I think I can fix it for you." The blacksmith held out his hands. "Is it okay if I see it?"

It was silly to hold onto it anymore. It was already broken. But for some reason, he hesitated before letting Four gently take the pieces out of his hands. The short hero inspected the damage, running his hands along severed seams and turning the pieces over and over to figure out how they originally fit together. Finally, he offered Wind a smile and said, "I can definitely fix this."

"And I can touch up the paint," Sky chimed in, startling Wind slightly because he hadn't realized the other hero was there. Nonetheless, he was grateful as soon as his mind caught up with his ears, and if he hadn't still been crying so hard he would have thanked them both.

"Want to watch?" Four asked.

He nodded. There was no way he was letting his sister's telescope out of his sight again. In pieces or not.

Four grasped his hand and hauled him to his feet, leading him back to the heart of their makeshift camp.

In no time at all the blacksmith had all his tools spread out on the grass and was working diligently to fix Wind's most precious thing.

By then, Wind had stopped crying and regained some semblance of control over his breathing. He sat completely still, watching his fellow hero work.

Sky was called over when Four was finished and the telescope switched hands. Sky, using paint he carried with him for his wood carvings, glossed over all the scratches and imperfections. Sometime during this process, Wild had finished preparing dinner, and though Sky ate while he worked, Wind refused. No one pushed except Wild. The elder boy told him he'd make him anything he wanted. It didn't even have to be something healthy. He could eat cake for dinner if he wanted. And though the proposal was tempting, his stomach hurt too much for food so he just kept shaking his head until Wild gave up.

By the time Sky was finished and the paint dry, Wind was able to hold his most precious thing. To inspect it and use it. It was like it had never been broken, and he threw his arms around both Sky and Four, uttering thank you's upon thank you's upon thank you's.

It wasn't long after that that Wind laid down, his belongings serving as a pillow and his sister's telescope clutched close to his chest. He wasn't letting go of it anytime soon.

"Hey, Wind." Legend's voice caused him to instinctively curl tighter around his most precious thing. Footsteps, then boots in his line of sight. Legend's face was next to enter his vision as the older boy crouched down and tilted his head to catch Wind's eye.

Wind turned his face away immediately, hugging the telescope so hard the metal cut into his chest and hands. He didn't care.

A sigh. "I just want to say sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Warrior's voice. "I shouldn't have gone through your things, and I won't do it again."

"…If you want to take one of our things and mess with it you can," Legend said.

"Hey! Speak for yourself. No one's touching my sca- Fine, fine! Anything goes."

"So?" Legend ventured after a few moments of silence. "What do you say?"

"I hate you," he mumbled.

"What?"

Wind lifted his face, making sure he made eye contact with them both when he said, "I _hate_ you!"

Hurt flickered in both their faces and guilt washed over him. But he didn't take it back. He just buried his face again so he didn't have to look at them. At the hurt he put there.

"Come on, don't say that," Warrior pleaded.

"Look, we would have fixed your telescope ourselves if we knew how." Legend said. "And I know it's not the same as if we did, but we really _are_ sorry."

"Yeah, what can we do to make it up to you?" Warrior asked.

"Go away," Wind muttered.

The elder hero must not have heard him because his back was poked not a second later. "Buddy?"

"STOP!" Wind screamed, slapping Warrior's hand away.

"Alright, that's enough," Time interjected, strolling over and motioning for Legend and Warrior to move away. "You two said your piece. Leave him be now."

Wind curled back around his sister's telescope, unable to not listen to the boys as they moved away.

"We didn't even fix anything!" Warrior's exclaimed somehow managing to sound fed-up and dejected at the same time.

"You expected to?"

"Well, no but…I don't know. I _hoped_. I just don't want him to be mad anymore."

"Tall order there." Time observed. "You two did give him a panic attack earlier."

"No way," Warrior's refused. "It wasn't that bad."

"It was that bad."

"Thanks, old man. You really know how to make me hate myself," Legend grumbled.

"Don't hate yourself. Hate the past you and learn from his mistakes."

"That doesn't help me now, Time."

"Yeah, please tell us how to fix it," Warrior added. "We're stupid. We know we're stupid. Help us in our stupidity."

"Unfortunately, I don't think there's much you can do," Time returned. "All I can say is be nice and give him some space. He'll forgive you when he's ready.

"Now get to bed. Warrior, you're on second watch."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

The camp was quiet, then, filled with the sounds of chittering bugs and shuffling as everyone settled down for the night. There was a whispered conversation going on too, but Wind was too tired to focus on it.

Despite his fatigue, sleep remained stubbornly elusive. Every time he closed his eyes the image of Aryll's telescope falling over the cliff and smashing to pieces tormented him. And each time he'd have to open his eyes and fiddle with the telescope to reassure himself it was there and it was perfectly fine.

Four and Sky had fixed it for him, so it was okay. But it wasn't. Because when he saw his sister next, he would have to tell her the truth. Lying wasn't an option. Not after leaving her. He hadn't even wanted to in the first place. In fact, if he could have stayed home with her and Grandma, he would have. But heroes didn't get choices.

Heroes were bound by their duties, and he was no exception. King charged him and Tetra with rebuilding the kingdom of Hyrule. They couldn't let him down. They were the future.

Of course, they weren't doing such a great job at the moment. They still hadn't found New Hyrule, and now the Hero of Winds himself was mixed up in some strange phenomenon with heroes that shared his name so there wasn't much searching going on. Maybe Tetra was still looking. A little, selfish part of him hoped so. He would much rather go home to his family after whatever-situation-this-was resolved itself.

Deep down, he knew that wasn't going to happen, though, and it hurt. It hurt the same way it hurt every time he sat down to write a letter to his sister and grandmother and had no words but sorry. On multiple occasions, he'd filled pages and pages with sorry upon sorry but never sent them. What was the point? Being away for over a year without so much as a visit was unforgivable.

Wetness on his cheek jolted him out of his head, and he cracked open an eye to see Wolfie. A soft whine escaped the animal, and call it silly, but Wind could have sworn there was worry in his eyes. Wolfie only confirmed this by licking his cheek again.

Wind sniffed and sat up, swiping an arm across his eyes to clear them. He'd hardly lowered his arm before Wolfie plopped himself down much closer to Wind than he normally got to anyone. Except maybe Wild. Wild seemed to have special privileges. But now those privileges apparently extended to him because Wolfie, who was usually too proud for cuddles, was all but forcing the Waker of Winds to pet him.

Considering that petting the wolf was all he ever wanted to do when Wolfie visited, it didn't take much convincing for Wind to comply. As he ran a hand over the oversized dog's side, he was surprised to discover how thick and soft the fur was. It felt how he imagined clouds to feel and, after a small bout of indecision, he cautiously laid his head on the wolf too. There was no protest from the animal under him so he assumed it was allowed.

The repetitive motion of petting Wolfie eventually soothed the young hero enough to close his eyes, and he soon fell asleep with one hand fisted in Wolfie's fur and the other clutching his most precious thing.


	2. Chapter 2

"Her Most Precious Thing"

The buzzing in his limbs was the first clue. The sharp ache in his head the second. The warping of his vision was his third and final warning before his eardrums popped and his stomach swam to his throat and he was forced to squeeze his eyes shut tight to fight off the nausea. _Gods_ why did switching worlds have to feel so awful?

Wind kept his eyes closed until everything and nothing stopped moving. At least, that was what he intended to do, but the sensation of grainy sand beneath him threw those plans out the window.

His vision swam like he'd just spun around and around and around in a hurricane spin, but a few seconds of furious blinking readjusted it so that he could see the beach stretched out before him and the water. Not just water. Waves. The ocean. The sea.

But was it his sea?

Hope swelled in his chest, but he tamped it down before he got too excited. Legend had said he'd sailed before. Wild had mentioned an ocean in his Hyrule too. This could very well be one of their worlds and not Wind's. Calm down. Assess.

Extremities still tingling, Wind carefully turned, casting his gaze out for a hint of familiarity despite himself. A lookout tower. A winding path up to a cliff. A house. A bridge. Houses. This wasn't just his sea. This was his _home_. Even under the curtain of night, he recognized it. Outset Island!

He could feel the smile stretched across his face now and the wind ruffling his hair saying "welcome home!" He could smell the saltiness of the air. He could hear the shushing of the waves against the shore and his fellow heroes' snores and soft, even breathing.

Wind quickly counted. Two. Four. Six. Eight. And he himself made nine. Good. They were all here. That was all he needed to know before he bolted for his house.

He'd probably be chewed out later for leaving them all sleeping there, defenseless. But at the moment, Wind didn't care. They would be fine. He wouldn't leave if he wasn't one-hundred percent positive the others would be safe. This was his home. Nothing bad could happen here. Not anymore.

He only just remembered to kick off his boots so he didn't track mud into the house before bursting inside. It was quiet, just as expected in the middle of the night. Habit caused him to stop the door from slamming as it closed and to step in the least creaky spots he knew as he moved farther inside.

Rounding the corner, he found his little sister and grandmother sleeping together in the bed he and Aryll typically slept together in. He felt like he was in a dream as he drifted closer to his dozing family. It had been so long since he'd last been home. Since he'd seen their faces and heard their voices. Sure, he had Grandma's and Aryll's words in letters and the pictures Aryll drew for him were nice too but they weren't _them._

Timidly,Wind reached out a hand. Wishing. Hoping. Praying it wasn't a dream. That he hadn't just fallen asleep on watch. The fading headache at the back of his eyes said otherwise but still. He had to be sure.

Soft. Aryll's hair was soft underneath his hand. Just as he remembered it. His fingers slid through her short locks, unbound for the night. A sudden tangle tugged the little girl from sleep, and she blinked sleepy eyes up at him. It took a moment. Two. And then she was wide awake and leaping at him with a squeal.

Wind barely had time to wrap his arms around her before he was on the floor with the full weight of Aryll atop him, squeezing the life out of him. All the commotion aroused Grandma too. "Aryll, what-?"

"Hi, Grandma," Wind wheezed out. Aryll had gotten stronger since he'd seen her last. "I'm home."

"Oh, Link! My grandbaby!" Grandma exclaimed, moving slowly but with purpose. "Let me have a look at you. Aryll, let your brother breathe, dear."

Aryll allowed him to sit up but refused to move off his lap and buried her face in his shoulder, sniffling. Then came his grandmother, taking his face in her wrinkled hands and asking him question after question after question. And he answered but after a while the euphoria of his homecoming overwhelmed them all and they just ended up in a tangle of limbs and tears.

"Stand up, stand up," Grandma implored as their tears began to subside. "Let me see how tall you've grown."

Wind laughed at that because he hadn't grown very much. Tetra was still taller than him. Nonetheless, he humored his grandma and stood. Aryll stood with him.

"Whoa! Your clothes are different. I like them!" Aryll exclaimed.

"Yeah, my birthday clothes got a little short so…" He also didn't have any wish to wear the same thing all the time so there was that.

Grandma took it another way. "Oh, I could tailor them for you, dear."

"Grandma, you don't have to."

"Nonsense! I want to. You deserve it. And oh, I'll make you your favorite soup, hmm? Not now, of course, it's far too late or I suppose it's too early." His grandmother eyed the lightening sky through the window behind him.

"Look at me, big brother!" Aryll said, tugging at his sleeve. "I got taller!"

When Wind turned to his sister, he was shocked to see that she was right. A few more inches and she'd be eye level with him. Then he noticed her wavering and looked down.

"No standing on your tip toes; that's cheating!" Wind exclaimed, putting his hands on his sister's shoulders and pushing her down, forcing her feet flat. She giggled, and he smiled but inside he was sobbing with relief. If Aryll had really grown that much while he'd been gone… But she hadn't. She was just as tiny as he remembered, barring maybe half an inch.

"I'm eight now," she announced, tilting her head up proudly.

"Yeah, I know. Sorry I couldn't be here for your birthday."

She shrugged. "We missed yours too. You're thirteen now…"

He couldn't help it. He pulled Aryll into another crushing hug. Before, maybe he could have fooled himself that he wasn't really gone that long but discussing their heights and their ages made it impossible. He'd really been gone for a year.

"Will you stay for your fourteenth?" Aryll mumbled into his chest.

Did he want to? Yes. Could he? It was unlikely. Whatever magic kept shuffling them around never left them in one place for more than a couple weeks. Besides that, as much as he liked to boast to the others that he was "almost fourteen!" it wasn't true. Not completely. He _was_ going to turn fourteen…in six months.

"Let's focus on now, shall we?" Grandma suggested, perhaps to spare her granddaughter from the truth. Aryll was smart, though. He could tell by the way she squeezed him tighter that she knew the answer. "Why don't we all return to bed until an appropriate hour?"

"But I'm not tired!" Aryll insisted, releasing her brother and jumping up and down to prove it.

Grandma shot her The Look. "If you stay up, I better not hear that you're too tired to do chores later."

"I won't be!" Aryll pledged.

Grandma sighed. "Alright, you two can play quietly."

"I'll take her outside," Wind said.

"Thank you, Link. You're sure you're not tired?"

Wind nodded. He was a little tired, but he usually had the last watch of the night so he was used to getting up early and staying up the rest of the day. Besides, the pirates always got up early, and when he was living with them, he was no exception.

"Be back for breakfast," Grandma said as she shuffled back over to the bed.

"We will!" Aryll said, already tugging on Wind's hand to lead him to the door.

"Uh, is it okay if I bring some friends?" Wind asked, digging his heels in to stop his sister from pulling him.

"Your pirate friends?"

"No. These are different friends."

Grandma considered this. "I don't see why not."

"Thanks, Grandma!"

"Come on!" Aryll tugged harder, using both hands now. "Let's_ go_."

"Wait. You have to get dressed first." There was no way she was meeting everyone in her nightgown and with messy bedhead.

* * *

It wasn't his aching head that woke him, though he certainly felt it as he was pulled into consciousness. No, what woke Legend was the caw of a seagull.

He shot upright, heart in throat. This was not the field he fell asleep in. It was a beach. Those were waves. An island. But was it…? He was almost too afraid to look, but in the end, he took a deep breath, gathered his courage, and did.

Relief flooded him instantly. He didn't recognize the place. The feeling was short-lived though. He didn't recognize this place. Where were they? Whose world were they in now? And most importantly, why weren't they woken up as soon as they switched worlds?

Legend shot to his feet, taking stock of the sleeping heroes scattered across the beach. He only saw seven. One of them was missing.

"Everyone get up!" he yelled.

Some, like Time and Twilight, shot up instantly. Others were slower to wake, like Four and Sky.

"Where are we?" Time demanded.

"No clue." Legend said. "One of us is missing."

"Wind's supposed to be on watch," 'Rule spoke up.

A quick look around confirmed it. Wind wasn't here.

Legend let loose a string of expletives.

Everyone else seemed to share his sentiment.

"What if he got left behind?" Wild wondered.

"He couldn't have been left behind," Warrior said, nudging Sky awake again.

"This is why I hate magic," Twilight grumbled.

"Everyone calm down. He has to be here somewhere," Time reasoned. They were all inclined to agree because if Wind wasn't with them…

"Wind!"

"Kid! Where are you?"

"Little sailor?"

"WIND!"

Screeching seagulls were their only response.

"We should split up and look," Warrior declared. "Legend, 'Rule, and Sky with me. We'll search this side. Everyone else, search that side. If you find anyth-"

"Guys!" Wind's voice startled them all and they turned to see the youngest hero running towards them.

"Where were you?!" Legend demanded.

"Home." Wind's tone was clipped. Just as it always was now when he talked to Legend and Warrior. Legend couldn't bring himself to care about that at the moment.

"And you didn't think to warn us?"

Wind shrugged.

"Legend's right. You can't just run off," Time admonished him. "We thought something bad had happened to you."

"Sorry, but I knew you guys would be fine. This island is my home. I know it's safe."

"You _know_ it's safe?!" Twilight demanded, shouldering his way to the front. "You don't know it's safe. Everything has been weird lately. The mail, the monsters…you can't assume anything even if it's your home."

Legend didn't miss how Wind flinched at that, casting his eyes to the ground.

"Look, just tell us next time, okay?" Twilight said, his tone softening a bit.

Wind nodded. "Sorry."

"How long ago did we switch worlds?" Four asked.

Wind looked to the first hints of dawn tinting the horizon pink and orange. "An hour ago, maybe?"

An hour?! Wind had left them defenseless for a whole _hour_? Legend had to bite his tongue to keep from yelling at the boy. Wind was still mad at him and Warrior for breaking his telescope even though it had been weeks since then. Legend was still trying his best to be nice. Only it was increasingly difficult when Wind pulled stunts like this.

A smattering of white and wings was the only warning they received before something barreled into Wind from behind and made him stumble forward. Legend's hand shot to his sword, as did everyone else's. Aside from Wind, that is. Wind was completely nonplussed.

That's when Legend noted the flock of seagulls that had appeared on the beach and the little arms wrapped around Wind's middle. Wind shifted and a head with a shock of sun-bleached blonde hair appeared. A little girl. Wind had mentioned having a sister. Was this her?

As Legend studied the girl peeking shyly out from behind the youngest member of their group, he decided she was. Same lightly sun-kissed skin. Same blonde hair. Same bright green eyes. The resemblance between the two was unmistakable.

Warrior was the first to move. He marched forward, ignoring the tensing of Wind's shoulders, and kneeling down before the two, holding out a hand for the little girl to take. "And who might this princess be?"

A tiny smile replaced her uncertain expression and she stepped out from behind her brother a little bit. Legend noted that she kept a hand firmly attached to his belt, though. "I'm not a princess."

"Fair maiden, then," Warrior corrected himself.

"My name's Aryll." She giggled.

"Aryll." Warrior sighed, putting a hand to his heart. "Such a beautiful name for a beautiful maiden."

"Oh, barf in my mouth. Are you actually hitting on a child right now?" Legend teased him. "Do you have any class?"

"I have class!" Warrior cried, shooting to his feet and whirling around on Legend.

"Really?" Legend raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't look it to me."

Aryll burst out laughing. "Big brother, your friends are silly!"

Wind smiled in agreement. "Let me introduce you to everyone…"

It didn't take long for them to warm up to Aryll or Aryll to them. Much like her brother, she was a whirlwind of energy. Except even more so. None of them really minded. Entertaining Wind's little sister was a nice break from all the traveling and fighting they'd been doing lately. Still, Legend kept an eye out for anything suspicious. You could never trust anything or anyone completely, after all.

"Marin."

"Who's Marin?" Aryll's face was one of pure innocence as she peered up at Legend, pausing in petting the seagulls. Legend just stared at her for a few seconds, mouth agape because he couldn't believe that name escaped his mouth. He blamed it on the blue dress. On the bright red hibiscus flowers. On the island. Ma-_Aryll's_ expression was dropping from curiosity into concern and he could feel Sky's worried gaze on him too. He had to answer. "She's a…" _girl. A friend. A dream._ "A seagull."

Aryll's face brightened at this. "Oh! I name them too! This is Soren and this is…" She rattled off names, and Legend kept a careful smile on his face but he wasn't really listening. Aryll was so much like Marin. A real Marin. But hadn't Marin been real too in some way?

"You okay?" Sky only meant well, Legend knew, but his asking only made it worse. Because of course he wasn't okay. In lieu answering, Legend crouched down and reached out to touch a nearby seagull.

The entire flock took to the sky immediately with startled squawks.

There was a moment of silence, then laughter.

"You scared them!" Aryll giggled. "Just like big brother does."

"I didn't mean to." Legend scowled.

The little girl beamed at him. "I know. Wait, I'll try to get one so you can pet it." Aryll stood and bounded a short distance down the beach. The seagulls returned in a matter of seconds. It was amazing, really. The birds flew to her like she was their mother. Maybe she was around when they hatched and they imprinted on her.

Aryll scooped one up into her arms and rushed over. She held it out to Legend. "Here!"

Legend lifted a hand and placed it gently on the seagull's back. That's as far as he got before the bird startled, fighting its way out of Aryll's grasp and taking flight.

The laughter from Aryll and Sky came even quicker than last time. Legend left them to it, stomping away and cursing the sand that shifted beneath his boots because it reminded him of Koholint.

Marin wished to be a seagull. It was her dream. He didn't know if dreams got wishes, but he liked to think they did. He liked to think she was a seagull, flying to far away places and singing for people. But what did it say if every gull fled from him?

"Breakfast!" Wind's shout provided a welcome distraction, and in no time at all they were all squeezed into the small house that Wind called home. Meeting Wind's grandmother went much smoother than meeting Aryll. At least in Legend's opinion. However, that was probably because Wind's grandma didn't remind him of anyone he knew.

Explaining their affiliation with her grandson was…interesting to say the least. No one quite knew what to say, other than they met through their adventures and that they were all from distant lands, far from the Great Sea. Of course, they could have explained about the whole soul-sharing and reincarnation thing but that was just a headache, or perhaps a heart-attack in the old woman's case, waiting to happen. Best to keep it vague.

Nothing could be truly vague with Aryll, of course. She was badgering them with questions the entire meal.

And it only continued afterwards. "What's a wolf?"

"It's like a really big dog," Warrior supplied.

"Not a dog, though," Twilight chimed in, oddly obsessed with the distinction. "They're proud beasts."

"Wolfie is. Not so sure about the rest," Wild said. "Most wolves attack on sight."

"But Wolfie is nice?" Aryll wondered.

"Yes, Wolfie's nice," Twilight assured her.

"I wanna meet him! Or her. Is it a he or she?"

Four coughed, and Twilight scowled. "He."

"Maybe he'll make an appearance later," Wild added, patting Four on the back.

"Don't count on it," Twilight returned. "This island is small, and it's a village besides. Wolfie doesn't enter villages."

This was true. The animal had an aversion to populated places, which was probably for the best now that Legend thought about it. A wolf strolling down the street would certainly terrify townsfolk. It could be funny, though.

"Aww!" Aryll pouted. "But Four said he gave piggy back rides."

"You don't need a wolf for that," Twilight said, stopping and swinging Aryll up onto his back in one smooth motion. After confirming that she was situated, he took off ahead of the rest of them, causing Aryll to shriek in delight.

"Your sister's so cute Wind," Hyrule said as they walked to the beach at a much more relaxed pace.

Wind smiled proudly, like he was the reason she was that way. "I know." His proud expression turned pensive. "Though, I guess she's sort of a sister to all of us…"

Legend chewed on that while they moved to join Twilight and Aryll who were trying to hurdle waves and failing. In another life, Wind's life, Aryll _was_ his sister. Maybe Aryll was a reincarnation of Marin…

"Hey, Aryll!" Warrior called, drawing the attention of the two that were splashing in the waves. "Who's your favorite new brother?"

Aryll slogged out of the waves with Twilight, water dripping from the hem of her dress and sandals squelching. "What do you mean?"

"Out of all of us," Warrior said, gesturing to their group. "Besides your big brother, who is your favorite?" After a short pause, he palmed the side of his mouth and fake whispered. "Don't be shy. You can say it's me." Aryll giggled.

"I love all of you!" she exclaimed with a smile, throwing her arms up to encompass them all in her love.

"Yeah, but who do you love the most?" Warrior pressed.

"She doesn't have to choose," Hyrule spoke up, frowning.

"You're just saying that because you know you're not her favorite," Warrior shot back.

"What? No! I just think it's unfair to put such a question to her."

"Hyrule's right," Time said. "She hasn't even known us for a day. There's no way she can-"

Mini Marin surged forward, and attached herself to the Chosen Hero. It startled them all, but it may have startled Sky the most when she titled her head up and grinned at him. "You're my favorite!"

"Oh, come on!"

"You asked for it," Legend reminded the military captain, slapping him on the back.

"Yeah, but _Sky_?! He's no fun at all!"

"He likes birds," Aryll chirped.

"I like birds," Legend muttered, defensive despite himself.

Aryll shook her head. "But Sky's good with birds."

That forced more than a chuckle out of everyone except Legend, who clutched his heart as if he'd been shot.

"But I also love you," Aryll said, releasing Sky and moving to wrap her arms around Warrior. She then proceeded to dole out hugs to the rest of them, promising that she loved everyone. When Aryll embraced him, Legend couldn't help but stiffen. Aryll only hugged him tighter and wouldn't let go until he returned it, focusing on her blonde pig-tails and bright green eyes. For some reason, he found himself missing her warmth when she released him.

Wind was last to be hugged, though it was more of a tackle in Legend's opinion. There was no denying the strong bond between the two. It was sweet, until Aryll drew back with an excited oh! An all too familiar telescope lay in her hands.

They all froze. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath in anticipation of the freak out that was sure to come. No one touched Wind's telescope except Wind. It had been ingrained into Legend's brain along with everyone else's these past few weeks.

"Aryll, I wouldn't-" Legend said, holding out his hands as if that would help diffuse the situation. "Just…give your brother the telescope back."

"Huh? Why?" Aryll's face was a picture of pure ignorance. And Wind's…Wind's face was…calm? What?

"She can have it." Seriously, _what_?!

Wind guarded that telescope like it was his own beating heart. After Four and Sky repaired it, he always had one hand wrapped around it. No one objected, of course. They didn't want Wind to have another panic attack. Heck, none of them had wanted him to have one in the first place. But after a couple days it became more concerning. Wind never let go of it. Not to eat. Not to sleep. Not to set up camp or gather firewood. Not even to battle, which was dangerous for obvious reasons. It took days for Time, Twilight, and Four to convince the boy to attach it to his belt. And even then, they all noted that Wind's hand was on it whenever they weren't in danger.

Now that he thought about it, Legend realized that Wind hadn't touched the telescope once the entire time they'd been here. Not that he had seen, anyway.

"Let's go to my lookout!" Aryll exclaimed giddily, pointing with the spyglass towards a structure on the other side of the island. "You can see really far, and I'll let everyone take turns with my telescope so you can see even farther."

Either Wind's sister referred to everything as hers or… "_Your_ telescope?"

"Yeah, it's mine." She held it close to her chest and hugged it. Like a favorite toy or doll. Like something precious that belonged to her. "Did big brother tell you it was his?"

Legend shook his head in horror. No. Wind did not tell him it was his. He didn't them it was _anyone's_. There had been no explanation.

"No, but-" Warrior was having trouble speaking too but at least he was speaking. "We broke it. Legend and I. Not on purpose but…"

Aryll released the telescope from her crushing hug and began to inspect it, even putting it to her eye. Satisfied, she lowered her telescope and regarded them skeptically. "It's not broken."

"Not now," Legend choked out. "Four and Sky fixed it but-" He paused, sharing a look with Warrior.

"We're sorry," they said together, feeling equally awful.

She blinked green eyes. Smiled. "It's okay."

"It-it's _okay_?" Legend stuttered. After Wind's reaction, he expected nothing less than screaming from Aryll.

"Yup! You didn't mean to break it, right?"

"Well, no," Legend said at the same time Warrior exclaimed, "Of course not!"

"Then it's okay!" Aryll chirped.

But Legend couldn't forgive himself so easily. "It's not."

"Why not?"

"Because we were messing with it and Wi-your brother told us not to but we did anyway," Warrior explained, guilt thickening his voice.

A neat little frown sealed Aryll's lips, and Legend braced himself for the explosion. It was quiet. "Did you say sorry?"

"Yes."

"About a thousand times," Legend added, unable to mask his annoyance.

Aryll turned to Wind next. "You're still mad."

"No, I-"

"Yes, you are."

Wind squirmed under his sister's words but eventually relented, releasing a huff of air and throwing his hands up. "So what? I have a right to be mad. You let me borrow your telescope and-"

"I don't care about the stupid telescope!" Aryll cried, flinging the telescope to the sand and lurching forward to wrap her brother in an embrace. "I care about _you_!" She tilted her head back so she was looking directly into Wind's eyes "As long as you come back, I don't care."

It was the Hero of Wind's turn to squeeze the life out of his sister. Or maybe into her.

Suddenly Legend understood. It had never been about the telescope. It was always about Aryll.

Their embrace last for a moment more before Aryll wriggled out of it and leveled a look at Wind that was more big sister than little sister. "Now, hug."

"Aryll…"

"Hug!" The little girl wasn't taking no for an answer. She circled around so she was positioned at Wind's back and pushed him forward, towards Warrior and Legend. "Hug until you're not mad anymore."

"That's not how it works," Legend couldn't help but say.

"That _is_ how it works," Aryll declared, leveling her intense gaze at him this time. All he could see was Marin. And then she spoke again and the spell was broken. "Whenever big brother and me fight Grandma makes us hug until neither one of us is mad anymore." She all but shoved Wind into them, which was a feat considering her tiny stature.

Legend wasn't really one for physical affection—or affection of any kind for that matter—so he instantly shied away. Aryll didn't allow that either. She forced them together, tugging on arms and hands and tunic hems until she had smushed Legend, Warrior, and Wind into one awkward group hug.

Stepping back, Aryll planted her hands on her hips and stared them down. "None of you are allowed to move until you make up. Got it?"

"Got it." Warrior echoed.

"Yeah."

Legend just hummed and tried his best to resist snapping at the other heroes to stop their snickering because this was _not_ funny!

"Good. Everyone else, let's go!" Aryll exclaimed, bouncing back into her cheery self and scooping up her telescope from the ground. She pointed at them. "You three aren't allowed on the lookout until you're not fighting anymore."

With that, she turned on her heel and marched off, leaving the rest to follow. They did so, but not without shooting them a few amused looks and sarcastic comments as they passed. Legend glared at them all in return.

It was hardly better when the three of them were finally alone. Suffocating silence replaced the snide remarks and laughter, which was actually worse in Legend's opinion. He couldn't shout at the silence to shut up.

Shifting uncomfortably, the adventure-wearied hero made to disentangle himself from the embrace but was stopped by Wind. "Don't. Aryll will see and come stand guard over us until we make up.

"Yeah, right," Legend scoffed. It was an automatic response. Taking a second more to think about it made him realize that it wasn't such a far-fetched idea. Aryll had displayed her bossiness just fine a few minutes ago. He wouldn't put such a thing past her.

"She will," Wind insisted. "She can see everything from the lookout, especially with her telescope."

"Then start talking," Legend ordered, readjusting his position so he was back in the awkward hug but not as squished as before.

When Wind remained tight-lipped, Warrior prompted him with a gentler tone. "Maybe start with why you didn't tell us the telescope was your sister's?"

"Because…I don't know," Wind mumbled, his forehead pressed against Legend's and Warrior's shoulders. "I didn't think you'd care."

"Of course we would, idiot," Legend scoffed. "We do."

"Would you not have messed with it if it was hers?" Wind demanded, snapping his head up to glare at Legend. "If it's mine it doesn't matter, but if it's someone's you don't know-"

"No," Warrior objected, pulling Wind's eyes to him. "That's not it at all. Look, I wouldn't have taken it if I knew it was so important to you, but you never told us it was. You never said _anything_."

"I said give it back," Wind argued.

"Yeah, but you never said why."

"There shouldn't need to be a reason!"

"You're right. There shouldn't need to be," Legend agreed. "But Warrior has a thick skull. He needs a reason."

"_I_ have a thick skull?" Warrior exclaimed. "Look, who's talking."

Legend rolled his eyes. "Fine, maybe we both have thick skulls." He wasn't sure but he thought he heard a small, breathy laugh escape the younger hero. "The point is, you have to talk to us. We're not mind readers, kid."

"I know. I'm sorry," Wind apologized, all the fight seeming to leave him. "I just don't know how to explain it."

"Try," Warrior invited him.

It was a while before Wind spoke again. About enough time for Legend's right foot to fall asleep and the cawing of the seagulls to border on downright irritating. "That telescope has been with me through everything. Saving Aryll. Saving the Great Sea. It was there. And then, when I left home afterwards I-I didn't _want_ to leave. I never did. But I had to because I made a promise and the telescope was…I was only supposed to borrow it for a day. Just one. But it turned into months and I hadn't had a chance to return it until then, so I tried but Aryll wouldn't let me.

"She said I needed to keep it so that I _had_ to bring it back to her. It was like a guarantee. If I had the telescope, I'd come back home and everything and everyone would be okay.

"But then it broke and-" Wind's voice wavered and Warrior tightened the already uncomfortable hug. It was enough to help Wind continue, though, so Legend didn't complain. "I couldn't help but think that Aryll had been kidnapped again or Grandma was sick and I was too far away to do anything. Or even…even that the Great Sea had disappeared, and I'd never be able to come home."

"I've been there," Legend admitted. On numerous occasions during Legend's own adventures, he had wondered if he would ever return to the place he called home. If he'd ever be able to go home and stay there. Well, that one was still in the running. Case in point, it wasn't difficult to relate to the sailor's feelings.

"Same here," Warrior agreed. "You didn't have to be homesick alone all this time. I have a bunch of stories I could have told you, if I knew."

"Or you could have just sent a letter to your family," Legend said, causing Wind to disentangle himself from the hug a bit so he could shoot him a questioning look.

"How?"

Legend rolled his eyes. "The postman, dummy. If he can deliver your family's mail to you in a world that's not your own, I'm sure he can find a way to get your mail delivered to them."

Wind's expression clearly stated that the thought had never crossed the boy's mind before.

"That's right!" Warrior smiled, hopping on board with the idea. "Next time you get worried about your family, you can write a letter and we can help you track down the postman. Okay?"

Wind nodded. "Thanks."

"Thank your sister," Warrior returned. "She taught us the secret to talking to you when you're mad."

"There is no secret."

"There is. It's hugging you to death," Warrior declared, releasing Legend so he could wrap both arms around Wind and nearly hug him off his feet. Wind laughed, and it was music to Legend's ears. Sure, Wind hadn't been absent of mirth these last few weeks, but he'd never been this joyful in his and Warrior's presence until now.

When Warrior released the sailor, Legend put a hand on his shoulder. "From here on out, don't trust a telescope to tell you the future. Seriously, it's not even a magical one."

Wind giggled at that. "I won't."

"Good." Legend squeezed his shoulder before releasing it.

"And, um, I'm sorry I said I hate you guys," Wind said, digging a hole in the sand with the toe of his boot. "I don't."

"We know," Warrior replied for them both. He slung one arm around Wind's shoulders and the other around Legend's. "Now come on; you're home now. Might as well make the most of it."

Wind grinned. "Race you to the lookout!"

Legend could only assume they were forgiven as the younger hero took off in the direction the others had gone in a while ago.

"No fair!" Warrior protested, kicking up sand as he shot after a laughing Wind.

The few moments Legend lost activating his Pegasus Boots was worth it when he sped by both Warrior and Wind.

"Later, losers!"

"Cheater!" Wind called after him, but there was mirth in his voice instead of malice, and it only made Legend smile wider as he left his friends in the dust.

He almost didn't see Aryll until it was too late. In fact, he wouldn't have stopped at all if a seagull didn't clip the side of his face with its wing. Legend ground to a halt, brushing away feathers and rubbing his sore cheek.

"Did you make up?" Aryll demanded, all business. A seagull landed on her head to preen itself, but the little girl maintained her serious expression.

For her sake, Legend decided to forgo the sarcastic route. "Yes."

"Legend! You cheating son of a bi-"

"Language," Legend cut off Warrior, glancing over his shoulder as he and Wind pounded over the bridge. "And no one said no items."

"No items!" Wind cried.

Aryll ran up to Wind, dislodging the seagull from its perch in her hair. She studied him as if he was a difficult book she was trying to read. Finally, she said, "You're not mad anymore."

"I'm not mad anymore!" Wind exclaimed, picking her up and spinning her around until she laughed. Setting her back on her feet, he clued her in to the race and without any further ado, they resumed their run to the lookout with one extra competitor. It wasn't really fair since Aryll was so small. Maybe that was why he scooped her into his arms and activated the Pegasus Boots. Or maybe there was a different reason.

Either way, the two of them reached the lookout's ladder first.

"Again, again!" Aryll cheered, jumping up and down as soon as he let her go.

"We already reached the goal."

Aryll giggled. "How do you run so fast? Can you teach me how to run fast? It felt like I was flying!" She spread her arms and waved them as if they were wings. "Like I was a seagull."

Legend chose to ignore that last comment. "Not unless you have magic boots."

Aryll's gaze immediately went to his feet. "Your boots are magic?" She crouched down and poked one of the feathers. "How? Did a fairy make them? Or-""

Legend was spared from answering by the arrival of Wind and Warrior.

"I said no items!" Wind panted.

"You never said no magic items," Legend returned easily.

Wind stuck his tongue out at him.

"Big brother!" Aryll gasped. "His boots are magic!"

"I know. He has a lot of magic items."

"Really?! Can I see?" Aryll asked, turning back to Legend eagerly.

No. There was a reason why he didn't flaunt his magic items. Rather than explain, Legend changed the subject. "I thought you wanted to show us your lookout."

"Oh, yeah. Come up," Aryll invited them, reaching for the ladder and beginning to climb.

Once she was up a few rungs, Legend made to climb up after her but was stopped by something wet plopping onto the top of his head. He froze. "Tell me that wasn't what I think it was."

Wind burst out laughing, causing Aryll to look down and confirm his worst fears. "A gull pooped on your head!"

Seriously?! What did these birds have against him? Legend stumbled back from the ladder, hands going to his hair but not touching it. He could feel it sliding towards his left ear. Eww! "Someone get it off!"

Wind was doubled over laughing, as was Aryll despite being on the ladder. He kept an eye on her just in case she slipped.

Warrior was no help at all either, covering his own head to protect his precious hair from anymore gull droppings. Like he had to worry. They didn't hate _him_.

"It means they like you!" Aryll informed him between giggles, almost as if she'd read his mind.

"I doubt that," Legend grumbled, but as he watched Wind and Aryll laugh and Warrior freak out over nothing, he couldn't help but smile. Marin would think it was funny too. In fact, he was sure she'd say exactly what Aryll just did.

Legend couldn't help it, then. He laughed.


End file.
